The present invention broadly relates to rolling mills and, in particular, concerns a new and improved construction of a rolling mill or apparatus.
Generally speaking, the rolling mill of the present development is of the type containing two rolls which act in opposition to one another in a substantially vertical pressing plane. These rolls have substantially cylindrical rotatable parts which act against a counter roll and which are borne substantially along their entire length and with an adjustable pressing force upon at least one support or pressure element. Each such support or pressure element is operative in the pressing direction, and these support or pressure elements of the two rolls act in opposed relationship to one another in order to produce the pressing force.
Rolling apparatuses or rolling mills of this type are well known to the art, as evidenced for instance by the rolling mill constructions disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,041,752 and 4,059,976, Austrian Pat. No. 357,484, German Pat. Nos. 1,026,609, 1,411,327 and 1,460,632.
Although rolling mills of this type have proven to be generally satisfactory in practice, nonetheless difficulties are encountered in connection with the roll sag or bending-through which is predicated upon their inherent weight. This roll sag introduces into the roll nip or bight forces which can result in localised deviations of the pressing force from a desired value.